The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-11-15
THE DESPERATE BOY FIEND.
Another Attempt by Jesse Pomeroy to
Escape from Prison.


BosToN, Nov. 1S.--JeSse Pomeroy, the
"boy feud," who is serving life sentence
in the State prison in Charlestown, made a
desperate attempt to escape or kill himself
yesterday by blowing up the prison. He
succeeded in causing an explosion that shat
tered the plastering and windows in the
wing of the prison that contained his cell,
and he was himself severely burned about
the head and hands His injuries are not
dangerous. This last is the most startling
of his many attempts TO gain freedom. He
has given the prison officials more trouble
than all tho other prisoners combined,
and in his attempts TO escape he has
shown an inventive genius that would be
credit to him If rightly used. He has many
friends among the prisoners, and they have
materially aided him in his work. In some
way unknown TO the officers he obtained pos
session of cold steel chisel about eight
inches long and ng-bladed knife. The
knife blade was transformed into saw,
and with these tools he found no difficulty
in cutting through brick and iron. In all
his other operations he has given his atten-
tion to the bars of his cell door or window,
but this time he tried another method that
was as ingenious as it was desperate. Ii
involved the possible destruction of one
wing of the prison and its inmates, includ-
ing himself, or the making of breach in
the walls large enough to liberate many of
the prisoners.
After providing himself with the tools he
severed the gas pipe that ran between the
walls, and allowed the gas to escape in the
space that was left by the builders. Then
he lighted the gas, and a tremendous ex-
plosion followed, shaking the building from
top to bottom, The explosion occurred
while the prisoners were in their cells eat
ing dinner and terrible outcry was made
by the men. The prison officials FASTENED
to the wing with revovers in hand, fearing
that the prisoners had started a revolt
The odor of gas attracted them 70 Pome-
roy's CELL and the officials found him lying
on the floor unconscious, and with his hair
and eyebrows burned of. Dr. Sawyer, the
prison physician, dressed his wounds, and
in a short time he was restored to conscious
ness. He was locked up in a strong cell,
and the Warden made an examination of
his quarters to see what damage had been
done by the explosion. Then the ingenious
work of the prisoner was revealed
BY means of an awl he had looSened two
bricks in the wall of his cell at the place
opposite the elbow of gas pipe. The right
spot could only have beon located by care
tul mathematical calculation. Then with
his saw which was ingeniously set In long
wooden handle, he had severed the gas pipe
diagonally on both sides of the elbow The
work must have taken several weeks to ac-
complish. But the prisoners ingenuity was
best shown by the instruments he had made
20 conceal his work until the time for action
came With paper and cotton cloth he bad
reproduced the elbow of the gas pipe so that
it fitted snugly over the iron ends and pre-
vented the escape Of gas The iron that was
cut of he allowed TO fall between the walls.
The paper pipe was strongly rolled
and was a wonderful piece of workman
ship. When he was ready he removed the
paper tube, and filed the space between the
walls with gas, and then threw a lighted
match through the hole. There was enough
OF an explosion TO shatter the plastering of
the cells in that wing and to break some of
the windows, but the granite walls were un-
injured. A large sheet of fame filed his
cell and hurled him so violently against the
bars as TO render him unconscious. His in
Juries will conflne him to bed for some days
The officers have searched his ceil every few
days, but he had etfectually concealed every
trace OF his work, the place of the mortar
around the bricks being supplied by soap.
Warden Russell snid 10 a reporter this
afternoon: Jesse Pomeroy's study of chem.
istry and civil engineering for the past ten
years has only served to keep his name
before the public, and even such simple
things as tin plates, cups, aud spoons in his
hands arc "A source of danger both to himself
and TO every one in the prison."
The Warden showed the instruments
which he had obtained or constructed TO
break through the wall and cut the gas
pipe The implement which he doubtless
found most useful in cutting the stone and
brick work was cold chsel about six inches
long. How he got this and other things is a
mystery. Another curious little instrument,
which was doubtless of his own make, was
OF the size and shape Of shoemaker's awl
handle, with steel blade running through
il and projecting at each end This was
used by him III scraping out the mortar. A
little saw, made Of IA pocket-knife blade, on
a rough wooden handle about foot long,
was used to saw the gas pipe joint
But the oldest thing of all was the substi-
tute for the gas pipe, which he made by
coiling and pasting linen and paper. One
was pipe about an inch in diameter and a
foot and half long. The other CORE
sponded to the metal cap at the Joint of the
gas pipe. The latter was used TO cover UP
the hole which he had cut and permit the
gas to flow through until such time as it
suited his purpose TO let it escape. BY
placing this cap on he was able to let the
gas pass through without causing any odor
in his cell
at is odd" said Warden Russell ''that
he should have risked hisown life by having
the explosion occur while he was in his own
cell He might possibly have made some
slow match arrangement and then waited
until some time when he would be taken out
for bath"